TALLAHASSEE & CLEARWATER, FLORIDA--One year after Terri
Schiavo's feeding tube was reinserted and her life was spared, two separate
legal rulings have dealt what are at least temporary set-backs to those who
support her right to continue living.

On Thursday, a year to the day after Terri's feeding tube was
reinstalled under a legislative directive, the Florida Supreme Court ruled,
without comment, that it would not hear an appeal by Governor Jeb Bush over
it's September 23, 2004 decision.

The court had ruled that the Legislature violated the state
Constitution's separation of powers when it gave Bush the authority to have
Terri's feeding tube reinserted on October 22, 2003, just six days after it had
been removed under a Pinellas County Circuit Court order.

Governor Bush said Friday that his office would appeal the decision to
the U.S. Supreme Court. They have 15 days to do so. Bush said he might request
a stay, which would keep Terri alive until, or if, the high court agrees to
hear the case.

"I personally don't want to be a party to removing a feeding tube that
causes us to take an innocent life," the governor said.

"On death row, it takes 20 years for the appeals process to end, and the
state spends hundreds of thousands of dollars before it allows a convicted
felon to be executed. I would hope that we would take as much care when it
comes to an innocent life."

Also on Friday, in a separate case over Terri's life, Pinellas County
Circuit Court Judge George W. Greer said that he would not hear an appeal by
Terri's parents filed last month. Her parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, had
asked Greer to reconsider his 2000 decision in which he agreed with Michael
Schiavo, Terri's husband and guardian, that Terri would not have wanted to live
"by artificial means".

The Schindlers believe that Terri, 40, a life-long Catholic, would not
have wanted to die by starvation at this point, because doing so would violate
a recent pronouncement by Pope John Paul II. The pope said in March that
letting people with severe disabilities die by starvation or dehydration
amounted to euthanasia, and is both unethical and immoral.

Greer wrote in his ruling Friday that nothing had changed since his
earlier decision. He noted that, before her collapse at age 26, Terri had not
been a consistent observer of Mass and did not have a regular religious advisor
to counsel her.

"There is nothing new presented regarding Terri Schiavo's religious
attitude and there is still no religious adviser to assist this or any other
court in weighing her desire to comply with this or any other papal
pronouncement," Greer wrote.

Greer added however, that Terri's feeding tube could not be removed
until December 6, so that her parents could have time to arrange an appeal to
his decision.

The Schindlers indicated through their attorney that they would appeal
Greer's ruling.

"The family's faith remains strong and they are hopeful that their
daughter's life will ultimately be spared," the family said in a statement.
"They covet the prayers of others who are concerned about Terri as they
continue to pursue their legal options."

Terri collapsed in February 1990 from what doctors believed was a
potassium imbalance, perhaps caused by an eating disorder. Her heart stopped
beating, and her brain was without oxygen for several minutes. After she came
out of a coma, doctors ruled that Terri was in a "persistent vegetative state",
that her brain was damaged to the point that she was no longer aware of her
surroundings, could not feel pain, and would not recover.

Terri regulates her own breathing and blood pressure. She does not
swallow, but is given food and hydration through a tube installed through the
wall of her stomach.

Her husband and guardian, Michael, filed a petition in 1998 to have
Terri's feeding tube removed so that she would die of starvation and
dehydration. He told the court that his wife told him before her collapse that
she would not have wanted to live "by artificial means". The feeding tube was
removed for two days in April 2001 and for six days in October 2003, before it
was ordered reinserted while courts considered legal actions by her
parents.

Terri's parents have challenged Michael Schiavo's efforts to have her
feeding tube removed. They believe Terri responds to them, smiles, and has even
tried to stand up. They want Terri to receive therapies that Mr. Schiavo has
refused her for at least ten years, including speech and swallowing
therapies.

They want Mr. Schiavo removed as Terri's legal guardian, pointing to the
fact that he spent much of the fund intended for her care and rehabilitation on
his fight to have her die, and that for the last several years he has been
engaged to another woman with whom he has fathered two children.

Disability rights advocates and right-to-die groups flooded the offices
of Gov. Bush and state lawmakers with messages asking for them to intervene and
save Terri's life. Bush's office quickly wrote what would be commonly known as
"Terri's Law" and championed it through the Legislature in near-record time,
leading to the reinsertion of Terri's feeding tube.

Michael Schiavo appealed the action to the state Supreme Court, claiming
the law violated Terri's right to privacy and the state constitution. The high
court did not address the privacy concerns, but said the Governor and the
Legislature overstepped their legal bounds in passing and implementing the
law.

The Schindlers indicated that they are ready for the next round of legal
actions.

"We are aggressively pursuing all the options with the ultimate goal of
having Terri's life spared," their lead attorney, David Gibbs, told reporters.
"[The Schindlers] were very pleased with the stay because it removed a cloud of
fear and uncertainty. They can sleep well tonight and breathe a sigh of
relief."